Article of furniture



Sept. 26, 1961 R. w. HEDLUND 3,001,750

ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Filed Sept. 16, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 f? 7 INVENTOR. 27 1 26 RONALD w. HEDLUND ATTORNEY p 26, 1961 R. w. HEDLUND 3,001,750

ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Filed Sept. 16, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F|G.7 FIG-8 FIGIO INVENTOR. RONALD W HEDLUND ATTORNEY and 4 3,001,750 ARTICLE OF Ronald W. Hedlund, River Forest, 111., assignor to Donald F. Duncan, Inc., Chicago, Ill. Filed Sept. 16, 1959, Ser. No. 840,385 3 Claims. (Cl. 243165) This invention is directed to articles of furniture which may be formed for use by children, and is particularly concerned with improvements which facilitate assembly of such articles.

' A major purpose of the invention is to so arrange. horizontally extending frame elements and leg elements of a piece of immune that they may be easily assembled by a child without need of nails, screws, adhesive or the like,'and with the frame. elements and legs presenting a rugged and sturdy article of furniture in the assembled position. The article is comprised of relatively simple elements, lending itself to economics in the manufacture thereof. It may be shipped in knockeddcwn relation and after assembly may be disassembled and stored in -knocked-down relation. The principles of. the invention readily lend themselves to expansibility and versatility of the article in terms of size and use thereof. The invention may be embodied in a stool, a table ora chair.

An ancillary purpose of the invention is to so form a piece of childs furniture that it is both entertaining and educational in. nature.

Other purposes will appear from time to time in the course of the ensuing specification when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the invention as embodied in a stool;

. FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the stool as shown in. FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the stool illustrated in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an end view of the stool illustrated in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a manner of connecting a joint in the stool;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of a frame element utilized in the stool of FIGURES 1 through 5;

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of another frame element utilized in the stool of FIGURES I through 5;

7 FIGURE 8 'isa plan view of a leg element utilized in the stool of-FIGURESlthrough 5 FIGURE 9--is-a plan view-of a locking element utilized in the stool of FIGURES 1 through 5; and

FIGURE 10 is a plan view of another frame element utilized in the stool of FIGURES 1 through 5.

Referring specifically now to the drawings wherein like elements are designated by like characters throughout and in the first instance to FIGURE 1, the invention is shown as embodied in an article of furniture which is especially adapted for use by children. In FIGURE 1 a stool is shown as including a generally horizontal frame generally designated at 29, which frame is comprised of longitudinally extending elements 21 and 22 in spaced relation to one another and an intermediate longitudinally extending frame element 23 positioned between the ele ments 21 and 22. End frame members 24 and 25 extend transversely to the elements 21, 22 and 23 and are interconnected therewith in a removable manner, as will be pointed out more fully in ensuing portions of this specification. Supporting legs 25, 27, 28 and 29 are positioned at the four corners defined by the frame elements 21 through 25 inclusive and are removably interconnected therewith.

It should be understood that whereas the frame members 21 through 25 inclusive are illustrated as defining a generally rectangular seat or shelf-like portion of the "ice stool, the use of-theterms longitudinal and transverse,

herein is intended for use with frame elements or seats of square or other configuration, the terms longitudinal? and transverse being usedto describe, the angular disposition of the longitudinal axes of the elements 24 and 25-with relation to the longitudinal axes of the elements 21, 22 and 23. l

Each of the frame elements and legelements have; non-circular or generally rectangular cross section and may be made from wood or other equivalent material-.

In order to removably interconnect the frarne elements and leg elements with one another, the frame and. leg.

elements are especially formed for an interlocking rela tion. Each of the frame elements 21 and 22 is identically formed and as seen best in FIGURE 6, has slots 30 and 31 formed in the ends thereof. The slots 30 and 31 extend to the extreme end edge of the member 21. The slots. 30 and 31 may extend inwardly to a depth corre sponding to the width of the, leg'elements 25, 27, 28 and 29 and have a width corresponding to the thickness. of the leg elements.

Each of the uansversely extendingframe members 24 and.25 is identically formed and, as is seen best in FIG- URE 7, includes end slots 32 and 33 which are spaced inwardly at the opposite ends. of the transversev frame members and which have a size, and configuration conforming to the cross-sectional configuration and size of the frame elements 21 and 22 so as to receive, the frame elements 21 and 22 therein. An intermediate slotv 34' is positioned between the slots 32 and 33 and has a sizeand configuration conforming to the cross-sectional configuration of the frame element 23.

Each leg element as appears in FIGURE 8, is identically formed and includes a slot 35 near the upper end thereof but spaced inwardly of the upper edge, which slot. conforms to the size and configuration of, one of the transverse frame elements 24 or 25. V

The intermediate frame element 23 has slots 36 and 37 spaced inwardly from the ends thereof, which slots are adapted for a cooperative relation with locking elements 33 in a manner described more fully hereinafter.

In assembling the stool, the leg elements 26, 27, 28 and 29 are seated over the ends of the transverse frame elements 24 and 25. The slots in the leg elements snugly receive the frame elements 24 and 25 with a sliding fit, as appears in FIGURE 5. The longitudinally extending frame elements 21 and 22 are theninserted into their corresponding slots 33017 32 inthe transverse bers 24 and 25 with the slots 30 or 31 slideablyand snugly embracing the upper ends of the leg elements 26, 27, 28 and 29.

In order to hold the transverse frame members 24 and 25 in spaced and generally parallel relation and maintaining the assembled condition of the stool, means are provided for locking the intermediate frame member 23 to the end frame members 24 and 25, thus preventing disassembly of the stool while the end frame members 24 and 25 are so held in spaced parallel relation. To attain this end, locking elements 38 and 39 have a cross-sectional size and configuration conforming to the size and configuration of the slots 34, and have slots 40 extending inwardly from the lower edge thereof, such slots having a size and configuration conforming to the size and configuration of the end frame members 24 and 25. Thus when the frame member 23 is slidably received byrthe frame members 24 and 25 within the slots 34, the locking elements 38 and 39 may be positioned over the elements 24 and 25 with the leg portions of the locking elements embracing the sides of the frame elements 24 and 25 and extending into the slots 34 of the element 23, thus securely holding the frame elements 24 and 25 in spaced, parallel relation and with the intermediate frame element 23 supported on the frame elements 24 and 25 and securely held thereby.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the article is easily manufactured by using pieces of wood of the same general cross-sectional size and configuration and then cutting theslots in the various leg and frame elements the manner heretofore explained. In the use of the article, a child'may assemble the several elements required for the formation of the stool. The particular order or sequence of assembly required is both educational and entertaining to a child. The particular assemj-bly is most easily formed by first slidably assembling the frame element 23 with the frame elements 24 and 25 followed by assembly of the leg elements and other generallyhorizontal frame elements. The locking elements 38 mm 39 may then be inserted to hold the assembled position of the elementsi r As formed, the article is exceptionally sturdy in view 'of the particular formation of the slots which disposes the several axes of the frame and leg elements at each 'corner of the stool in intersecting relation, thereby provyiding transfer of a superimposed load on the frame elements 21, 22, 24 and 25 directly to the main body of the leg elements.

While the invention is shown as embodied in a stool, it lshould'be understood that the principles of the invention may be similarly embodied in other articles of furniture, as for example a chair, by providinga back portion for the seat defined by the frame elements 21, 22 and 23, "or a table by suitably arranging an enlarged generally plane surface in cooperative relation to the frame elements 21, 22 and 23' and leg elements 26, 27, 28 and 29. It should also be understood that whereas the article is shown and described as being removably assembled, the article may, if desired, be' made permanent by suitably (gluing or otherwise securing the several joints of the :article in permanent fashion.

. When assembled without any permanent securing medium, the article is easily-disassembled for storage there of in the flat condition as by removing the locking elejments 38. and 39, followed by a sliding outward move- .rnent of the frame elements 24 and 25 from the frame ments 24 and 25. I

Whereas I have shown and described an operative form of the invention, it should be understood that this showing' and description thereof are to be taken in an illustra'tive or diagrammatic sense only. There are many modifications to the invention which will fall within the scope and spirit thereof and which will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The scope of the invention should be limited only by the scope of the hereinafter appended claims.

Iclaim: H 1. A. readily assembled article of furniture including a plurality of supporting leg members and a multicornered supporting frame joined to said leg members and extending transversely thereto, said frame being comprised of longitudinally extending members and transversely extending members, each leg member being joined toj'the end ofone longitudinally extending member and ,of one transversely extending member at a-corner of ,said frame, the transversely extending member, longitudinallyex: tending member and leg member at each corner of ,said frame having slotstherein, each slot receiving one of the other members, at the junction of said leg member, lon; gitudinally extending member and transversely extending member, one of said slots opening to the end edge of one of said members and the slots in the other members be ing spaced inwardly of the end edges of the members, and means for hindering the removal of the member received by said open ended slot from'that slot. 2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said open ended slot is in each of said longitudinally extending members and said means includes an additional longitudinally extending member joined to said transversely extending members and holding said transversely extending mem= bers in spaced relation to one another.

3. 'The'structure of claim 1 wherein said open'ended slots are in said longitudinal extending members and said means includes an additional longitudinally extending member joined to said transversely extending members, said additional longitudinally extending member being received in slots in said transversely extending members,

'saidadditional member having a pair of closed slots,

' References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 369,410 Pratt Sept. 6, 1887 1,257,389 Platt Feb. 26, 1918 1,529,759 Widder Mar. 17, 1925 2,712,199

Latimer July 5, 1955 

